Contents

Skowhegan is a name given to this place by the Abenaki, who used to live there before they were attacked and dispossessed by the white man. It means "watching place" in their language, and referred to the good fishing there was on the Kennebec River.

More recently, Skowhegan was a flourishing mill town with a big shoe factory. But unlike many deindustrialized cities in the Northeast, it actually still has a shoe factory — for New Balance — and a functioning paper mill.

The art school is actually in East Madison, but as its entrance is only about a quarter of a mile from the town green, it is included in this guide.

The Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture has a 9-week program every summer. If you are a young artist, you can apply, and if you're an art-lover, you can check on whether there are any shows while you're in town.